KATHMANDU, Feb 12:  Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel said that the economic growth target of 8 percent set in the budget for the current fiscal year will not be met.

KATHMANDU, Jan 21: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Bishnu Prasad Poudel has urged the World Bank (WB) to increase budgetary assistance.

KATHMANDU, Dec 27: CPN-UML Vice-chairman Bishnu Prasad Poudel, who enjoys a merry time after being appointed as the finance minister for a third time, will have an uphill battle to lift the Nepali economy, which faces a number of challenges at present.

WASHINGTON DC, Oct 14: Finance Minister Janardan Sharma has urged the World Bank to place Nepal on priority in its several initiatives such as conservation of the mountainous region, economic revival of rural areas and green corridor along river banks.

WASHINGTON DC, Oct 12: Finance Minister Janardan Sharma arrived in Washington DC, the capital of the United States of America (USA) on Tuesday evening in connection with participating in the Annual Conference of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

KATHMANDU, Sept 22: Finance Minister Janardan Sharma has said that the country cannot become prosperous by importing products from foreign countries.

KATHMANDU, Sept 21: Finance Minister Janardan Sharma has underscored the need for banks and financial institutions (BFIs) to increase investment in the industrial and manufacturing sector.

KATHMANDU, August 17: Deputy Director of Nepal Rastra Bank Dr Shalik Ram Pokhrel has been appointed as an expert advisor of Finance Minister Janardan Sharma.

KATHMANDU, August 10: Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba called the ministers in his Cabinet and instructed them to reduce various taxes being levied on petroleum products after the price of petroleum products reached its highest in the last weeks of June.

KATHMANDU, August 3: The Supreme Court (SC) has rejected a writ petition demanding the formation of a high-level investigation against Finance Minister Janardan Sharma.

KATHMANDU, July 31: President Bidya Devi Bhandari has re-appointed Janardan Sharma as the finance minister on the recommendation of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.

KATHMANDU, July 31:  Janardan Sharma, a leader of the CPN Maoist Center, will be re-appointed as the Minister for Finance. CPN Maoist Center’s Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has reached Baluwatar to meet Prime Minister  Deuba to talk about Sharma’s re-appointment.

KATHMANDU, July 30: The parliamentary special committee set up to investigate the then Finance Minister Janardan Sharma, who resigned after it was alleged that during the preparation of the budget for the financial year 2022/23, unauthorized persons entered the Ministry of Finance and altered the tax rates to benefit certain families, has finally cleared him.

KATHMANDU, July 26: The truth about the use of ‘unauthorized persons’ by then finance minister Janardan Sharma to manipulate tax rates in the budget for the fiscal year 2022/23 is yet to come out.

KATHMANDU, July 25: The meeting of the Parliamentary Probe Committee is being held today. The meeting is going to be held in the hall of the committee at Singha Durbar.

KATHMANDU, July 6: The CPN (Maoist Center) has decided to not appoint a new finance minister until the parliamentary probe against Janardan Sharma is over.

KATHMANDU, July 6: The main opposition party, CPN-UML, has insisted that Finance Minister Janardan Sharma has to step down before a parliamentary probe committee is formed to investigate his involvement in changing tax rates in the interests of certain business groups in the annual budget for the fiscal year 2022/23.

KATHMANDU, July 5:  Bibeksheel Sajha Party has demanded the resignation of Finance Minister Janardan Sharma and action against him on criminal charges. Saroj Gautam, coordinator of Sajha’s youth organization, issued a press release demanding the dismissal of the finance minister.

KATHMANDU, July 4: Chairman of the main opposition party CPN-UML, KP Sharma Oli has asked Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba if he has reached a stage where he cannot do anything. Outraged by the government's indifference to the controversies surrounding the budget for FY 2022/23 and its investigation, Oli repeatedly questioned Prime Minister Deuba in the House of Representatives on Monday, calling him "absent-minded".

KATHMANDU, June 30: Subash Nembang, deputy parliamentary party leader of the main opposition party CPN-UML, has put pressure on Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba to immediately find out the truth about the alleged involvement of unauthorized people in the budget formulation by Finance Minister Janardan Sharma.

KATHMANDU, June 26: Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Devendra Poudel has complained that the Ministry of Finance has not provided a budget for lunch for students studying at the elementary level.

KATHMANDU, June 19: Managing Director of the Development Policy and Partnerships, the World Bank (WB), Mari Elka Pangestu paid a courtesy call on Minister of Finance Janardan Sharma at the latter's office in Singha Durbar on Sunday.

KATHMANDU, June 16: Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and other ministers concerned are scheduled to respond to the questions raised by lawmakers on the budget allocation bill related to the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Finance, Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, Office of the President and Office of the Vice President in the House of Representatives meeting today. They will respond to the questions at the HoR meeting today.

KATHMANDU, June 14: CPN-UML lawmaker Surendra Pandey has demanded the resignation of Finance Minister Janardan Sharma stating that serious questions have been raised against him.

KATHMANDU, June 13: Finance Minister Janardan Sharma has said that remittances from Nepali people who have gone for foreign employment have helped in improving the rural economy. Speaking on the occasion of the 22nd anniversary of IME Limited, a remittance company under the IME Group, Finance Minister Sharma said that the role of remittance companies in earning foreign exchange was significant.

KATHMANDU, June 10: Finance Minister Janardan Sharma has said that the country has to take internal and external loans until it becomes self-reliant by increasing its internal revenue.

KATHMANDU, June 5: Finance Minister Janardan Sharma has said that the government was clear on constructing the Nijgadh International Airport in Bara.

KATHMANDU, June 3: Finance Minister Janardan Sharma has urged all sides concerned to extend support for building a self-reliant and socialism-oriented economy. He claimed that the government brought the budget in a way all sides, including private sectors could feel ownership.

KATHMANDU, June 2: CPN (Maoist Center) lawmaker Giriraj Mani Pokharel has remarked that Finance Minister Janardan Sharma had failed to understand the works related to health insurance run by the government.

KATHMANDU, June 2: Finance Minister Janardan Sharma has claimed that the budget is a guiding document for every sector.

KATHMANDU, June 1: The Government of Nepal has announced plans to reoperate the public enterprises (PEs) which remain shut for an extended period of time without doing any homework. While most of the government-owned industries are at a loss, Finance Minister Janardan Sharma announced plans to resume the operation of nine closed industries while presenting the budget for the Fiscal Year 2022/23.

KATHMANDU, May 20: Minister for Finance Janardan Sharma has assured the parliament that the government will incorporate all recommendations and suggestions provided by lawmakers in regard to the Appropriation Bill.

KATHMANDU, April 18: A delegation including President of Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) Vishnu Kumar Agrawal has called on Finance Minister Janardan Sharma. During the meeting held at the Ministry of Finance, the overall condition of the economy was discussed.

LONDON, April 14: Finance Minister Janardan Sharma has urged Nepalis around the world to open dollar accounts in Nepali banks and invest in them.

KATHMANDU, April 11: Amid growing criticisms over his decision to suspend Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) Governor Maha Prasad Adhikari, Finance Minister Janardan Sharma on Monday said that the government took action against Adhikari as per the NRB Act.

KATHMANDU, April 11: Finance Minister Janardan Sharma has directed the Nepali missions abroad to take initiatives for bringing in as much remittance as possible from the citizens living abroad and increasing the number of foreign tourists in Nepal by conducting promotional programs.

KATHMANDU, April 10: The CPN-UML has accused the government of suspending the governor of Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) to cover up its incompetence.

COLOMBO, April 9: Sri Lanka will need about $3 billion in external assistance within the next six months to help restore supplies of essential items, including fuel and medicines, to manage a severe economic crisis, its finance minister told Reuters on Saturday.

KATHMANDU, April 8: Finance Minister Janardan Sharma has made it clear that Nepal's economy will not collapse like that of Sri Lanka.

KATHMANDU, April 6: Finance Minister Janardan Sharma has said that offices or projects led by women maintain transparency and good governance.

KATHMANDU, April 6: Finance Minister Janardan Sharma underlined the urgency of making a resolution to develop the dry port as an export center.

KATHMANDU, March 30: Finance Minister Janardan Sharma has said that the budget for the coming Fiscal Year 2022/23 will be prepared in a way that everyone will feel a sense of ownership for the budget programs.

KATHMANDU, March 29: The Ministry of Finance on Monday held discussions with the stakeholders from banks and financial institutions (BFIs), and insurance sector to solicit their feedback for the policy and programs and budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

KATHMANDU, March 28: Finance Minister Janardan Sharma has said that it is necessary to raise investment in big projects. Speaking at a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony between Investment Board Nepal and Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) on cooperation in raising domestic capital and attracting foreign investment on Sunday, he suggested the officials select the projects that are worthwhile.

KATHMANDU, March 24: Finance Minister Janardan Sharma has directed Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) to solve the problem of load shedding in industries.

KATHMANDU, March 22: Finance Minister Janardan Sharma has urged everyone to use electric stoves instead of cooking gas, which is bought using US dollars.

RUKUM, March 21: Finance Minister Janardan Sharma has said that the budget for the coming fiscal year- FY 2022/23 will be prepared by giving priority to the agriculture sector.

KATHMANDU, March 20: Finance Minister Janardan Sharma has claimed that the liquidity crunch has been seen in the market due to the tendency to hide cash at home.

KATHMANDU, March 13: Finance Minister Janardan Sharma has said that provisions have been made for the import margin to solve the challenges seen in the economy.

KATHMANDU, March 11: Finance Minister Janardan Sharma has said that the economy is not in a depressing state as rumored outside. He said that the economy was under the control of the government and the problem would be resolved soon.